


The Beauty in Heartbreaks

by Jeniouis



Series: The Lives We're Given verse [2]
Category: Avengers (2012), Captain America (2011)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bullying, Fuck or die-ish, Gentle Sex, Good Father!Howard, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, M/M, Omega Howard, Statutory Rape, alpha Antonio, discussing the birds and the bees, emotional breakdowns, its sound more horrible that what it really is, more dub con than non con, not graphic, past forced abortion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-22
Packaged: 2018-01-23 22:26:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1581662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeniouis/pseuds/Jeniouis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is how Howard met and mated with Tony's sire (other father).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Conception

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Myfo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myfo/gifts).



> This is for my main fic [The Lives We're Given](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1253551) and in this fic I mention Tony's dad ambiguously so this is the explanation.
> 
> The italics are because they're speaking in Italian.
> 
> Written for a friend and I don't own any of these characters, they belong to Marvel.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it :)

_"You disgraceful WHORE!"_ Howard's teacher sneered at him and he's scared.

The other students are laughing at him and the teacher is scowling at him as if he's the most disgusting thing in the world. Howard doesn't even know what he did wrong. All he knows is that he has a headache and his stomach had a warm, tingling sensation flushing through it.

When Howard first started feeling weird the teacher sniffed the air and then brought him up to the front of the classroom and starting throwing insults at him, saying the most hurtful words. The eight-year-old boy stood there, embarrassed, too embarrassed to even cry, and prayed for this humiliation to be over with soon.

Then a wave of heat pulsated through his body and all of a sudden a gush of liquid exits out his body, soaking his thighs and Howard doesn’t even know what to think about that. His face flushes but this time with embarrassment because his pants are all wet and the kids are laughing at him even harder.

_“You omegas are such sluts. You leak for anybody. Go to the principal’s office, you stupid floozy.”_

Howard turned dismally and walked out the classroom, thankful the principal’s office was close so he didn’t have a long walk of shame. But Howard still didn’t know what he had done wrong, what he did to deserve being called all those horrible names and he didn’t want to go to the principal’s office because he had never been there before; Howard had never been a bad student. He gloomily walked into the front office and everyone in there stared at him, glared at him, as if he was the most heinous person in the world. He trudged up to the secretary’s desk.

 _“Um, hello, I need to see the principal_.” Howard said meekly and politely.

 _“Did I tell you to speak?”_ She barked at him aggressively making Howard jump, shaking his head. _“And don’t look me in the eyes eith-“_ She started but was cut off by another aggressive voice.

 _“Bea Abbiati, that is quite enough.”_ A tall alpha growled at her. She snapped her mouth shut and turned back to her computer. The man looked down at Howard with a sympathetic smile and motioned for him to come into his office. Howard followed cautiously but the man didn’t smell bad, he seemed like a kind alpha.

 _“Hey little guy.”_ The alpha said kindly, kneeling down to Howard’s level and the omega shuffled on his feet nervously. _“What brings you to my office?”_

 _“My teacher sent me, Ala Donati. But I don’t know what I did wrong.”_ Howard said softly and he felt tears falling down his face without him wanting them to.

 _“Oh you didn’t do anything wrong.”_ The principal said and he rubbed Howard’s cheek gently with an open hand. And the boy found the gesture soothing but he couldn’t stop crying. _“It’s alright, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that… you’re unique, most omegas don’t find themselves in your situation until they’re much older.”_

Howard didn’t really know what that meant. What situation? But he was too afraid to ask.

 _“Am I in trouble?”_ Howard asked scared and quietly.

_“No, no, you’re not in trouble. We’re just going to have the nurse clean you up, give you some new clothes and we’re going to call your parents to come pick you up, so you can be safe at home, okay?”_

Howard started trembling because home and safe didn’t belong in the same sentence in his experience but he didn’t want to upset the man who had been kind to him so he just nodded.

 _“But, my parents aren’t home. They both work in Bari but I can walk.”_ Howard said softly, he didn’t want the alpha to get mad him. The principal hummed thoughtfully and nodded, sending the omega to the nurse’s office and to come right back when he was through.

The nurse was a beta woman who wasn’t kind but not cruel either, just coarse. And when Howard was taking his shower she watched him, hungrily and he thought she was going to do something to him but she never touched him, only looked. After he dressed himself in some new, clean clothes she practically shoved him out the room. Which was fine, he made out of there unscathed.

Howard obediently went back to the principal’s office and when he got there, the alpha was talking to another boy but he was older than Howard and an alpha.

 _“Hey Howard, this is my son, Antonio. I called him to walk you home.”_ The alpha said and his son smiled at him kindly. Howard was scared at first but Antonio smelled like a kind alpha, a genuinely good alpha like his father. “ _Is that okay with you? I want you to go home before you start getting sick and I didn’t want you to walk home alone but if you’re not comfortable with this, I won’t make you.”_ The principal said, searching his face.

 _“I’m fine with it.”_ Howard said honestly and the younger alpha stretched out his hand. Howard grabbed it cautiously and they walked out the school.

Howard lived a long, long way from school so the two had a long time to talk and Howard liked Antonio, he was funny and kind. But the more they walked, the worst Howard started feeling and Antonio was starting to look concerned. They had just started walking through a beautiful bark filled with vivid, colorful trees when Howard was struck with another heat wave that knocked him to the ground and his body released another gush of liquid from his body. Antonio gently picked him up off the ground and sat him beside him on a bench.

 _"What's happening to me?"_ Howard asked desperately and scared as Antonio held him in his arms.

 _"You're in heat."_ The alpha explained kindly and calmly. _"See, omegas can have babies. And every once and a while their bodies just want to make babies so it starts doing things to attract dominates who help them have babies. Does that make sense?"_ Howard nodded. _"Good, now you're very young, too young for your body to want to make babies yet-"_

 _"Is that why my teacher called me disgusting?"_ Howard asked, eyes filling with tears again and Antonio looked down at him sympathetically.

 _"No, your teacher said that because she’s a bitch. There's nothing wrong with you or you being an omega okay. It's a good thing. Understand?"_ Howard nodded. _"Good, so is there anyone touching you at home or has someone, some alpha put a part of their body inside of you?"_ Howard started crying even more and brought his knees up to his chest, cuddling in a circle beside the alpha.

 _"Yes, my papì told me it was training how to be good for my alpha one day but… he was lying wasn't he?"_ Howard sobbed and the alpha sat him in his lap and rubbed his cheek.

_"I’m sorry he does that to you. I would save you if I could. But, what he does, it's not supposed to be bad. See, when alphas and omega grown up they do that to show their love for each other and make babies."_

_"So papì was trying to show me he loves me?"_

_"No, um see… it's like candy. It's sweet and good but it could also harm you if you take it too far but it wasn't made for the purpose of harming people, some people just use it for bad; that make sense?"_

_"So, he’s not supposed to do those things to me. But why does he do it if he knows it hurts me?”_

_“Oh you poor thing_ ,” Antonio said as hugged Howard. _“You don’t understand right now. It’s too much for a child to understand but you’ll get it one day, sadly.”_

Howard looked up at him; he understood what he meant, the technicalities of it at least. His dad was hurting him with something that wasn’t supposed to be hurtful; he got that. He just didn’t understand it at all at the same time.

Antonio put a hand on Howard’s forehead and frowned, _“You’re too hot, too close to a heat stroke. Um, How far away do you live?”_

_“Only about a mile more.”_

_“That’s entirely too far.”_ Antonio said standing but he didn’t put Howard down; he just carried him as he walked around thoughtfully. _“I guess I’m going to have to… Hey, do you like this park?”_ The alpha asked suddenly.

_“Yeah, it’s really pretty, with all the different trees and flowers and the different colors.”_

_“You want to see my favorite part of this park_?” Antonio asked and Howard nodded.

Antonio walked them through the huge, glamorous park.  Howard had never walked this far in the plaza before and he was enjoying it. The alpha kept walking until they reached a gate with very high walls on the far side which was very secluded but even with the barriers Howard could see between the cracks and could see that this side was more beautiful than the rest of the park.

 _“My uncle owns this park.”_ Antonio said as he pulled keys out his pocket with one hand and continued to hold Howard with the other. _“He doesn’t want this part of this park to get trashed so he keeps it private.”_ He explained as he opened the gate and walked in, closing the door behind him.

There was a path in the middle of the huge field filled with flowers of every kind. Antonio walked a little further into the area and laid Howard down on his back in a beautiful flowered bed next to a pretty, blue pond, rubbing his stomach softly. Now, Howard may have been a child but he was also a prodigy and he knew exactly where this is going. But Antonio was kind and gentle and Howard wasn’t the least bit fearful.

 _“Hey, kiddo, I know we just met but I need you to trust me okay.”_ Antonio said worriedly and concerned. _“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do but I don’t want anything bad to happen to you so I’m going to have to help ease your heat, if you want me to and only if.”_

Howard nodded, _“Okay, I don’t mind.”_ He said as he plucked a beautiful flower off the ground.

Antonio groaned, _“I don’t think you know what that means.”_

 _“It means you’re not going to hurt me like my papì. I know what’s going on, mostly.”_ Howard said and Antonio looked down at him and started rubbing his cheek.

 _“Promise me you’ll tell me if I hurt you.”_ Antonio said seriously and Howard could tell this is something he didn’t want to do, guilt was flooding his scent, and Howard figured that was a good sign.

 _“I promise.”_ Howard said honestly.

Antonio sighed and tugged off Howard’s ruined pants. He used his fingers first but Howard wouldn’t cum so he ended up mating him and Howard was shocked when it didn’t hurt. It stung a little in the beginning but Antonio was gentle and slow and he honestly hadn’t meant to ejaculate inside of Howard but it wasn’t until the end when the boy released.

Antonio freaked out and kept apologizing but Howard didn’t mind, mostly because he didn’t understand what was so bad about it especially since after Howard no longer felt hot and miserable. Antonio wrapped Howard’s waist with his jacket so he could be covered and carried Howard home.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Eight Years Later

Howard smiled as his now eight-year old Tonio blew out the candles in his birthday cake. It was a small cake that Howard had baked for him and they were the only two in the small apartment to celebrate this day and Howard wished he could give Tony so much more.

 _"Guess what I wished for pàpà?"_ Tonio said as he played with the toy robot Howard made for him using pieces of scraps he found. Tony seemed stuck on calling it his irom man robot.

 _"What did you wish for, bimbo?"_ Howard asked as he carved the caked.

 _“I wished that one day I can take care of you.”_ Tony said as he happily started eating his cake. Howard smiled sadly and kissed his hair.

 _“I love you Tonio. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”_ Howard said and Tony stopped eating long enough to hug his daddy.

_“I love you too, papa.”_


	2. Three Weeks Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breeder= mother, sire= father, bimbo= baby boy

Howard was back in the nurse’s office trying to fight off the nauseous feeling rolling in his stomach. He felt so sick, so bad but not like when he was in heat; this was a different type of bad with him throwing up this past week in a half.

The principal walked in and walked over to where Howard was lying down on a cot.

 _"Hi little one."_ The principal said as he pulled a chair up to sit beside him. Howard tried to say 'hello' but it came out in a groan. _"Not feeling so well, huh."_ The man said and Howard shook his head. " _Poor thing, my son told me what happened when he walked home. I think you’re going to have a baby.”_ The alpha explained with a smile though there was something sad in his scent.

 _“Is that a bad thing?”_ Howard managed to ask becoming scared.

The principal sighed and started rubbing his cheek, _“Having a baby, no, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s the situation that’s not the best. But we’ll make do, huh?”_ Howard nodded, he almost understood that.

 _“Babies grow in the stomach, right?”_ Howard asked and the principal nodded. _“And its Antonio’s baby?”_ The principal sighed and nodded again. _“Can I see him? I want him to know about his baby.”_

The principal blinked and looked shocked before he slowly smiled, “ _Certainly, I can ask him to come and walk you home again. I don’t think you should be in school when you’re sick.”_ Howard smiled and nodded; he had missed Antonio, he was so kind.

*~*~*

It didn’t take Antonio long to get there. Howard had been dozing off but the alpha’s scent woke him up.

 _“Hey there Howard.”_ Antonio said and Howard wrapped his arms around his neck.

 _“Hi Antonio. I missed you.”_  Howard said honestly. _“There’s not a lot of alphas that are kind like you.”_

 _“I missed you to kiddo.”_ Antonio said though there was something sad in his scent though Howard figured it was because of what his principal was always saying, ‘it’s because of the situation.’ Which even Howard knew was genuinely fucked up. _“You ready to go kiddo?”_ Antonio asked him and Howard nodded. Antonio smiled as he picked Howard up and carried him out the school. On their way, Antonio stopped by a market and grabbed some food for Howard.

 _“You need to eat for the baby.”_ Antonio explained to him, _“And for yourself, you’re very small.”_ Howard guessed that he probably was; it wasn’t like his parents feed him very much. Antonio had bought him fruit and pizza though after an apple Howard felt full plus he didn’t want to eat too much only to regurgitate it. But at Antonio’s soft encouraging, Howard ate a little of the pizza and he felt a little better.

They stopped in the same park they walked through before when Howard had been in heat and were in the same private area sitting by the pond. Howard was glad, he didn’t want to go home, it wasn’t a pleasant place for him.

 _“How old are you?”_ Howard asked Antonio as the alpha held him in his lap and Howard felt so safe in his embrace.

“ _Sixteen.”_ Antonio answered.

_“How come you’re never in school?”_

_“I’m really smart much like you and I graduated high school last year so I’m in college now.”_

_“Oh, you were jumped ahead. I wish they would do that for me. I get so bored in school.”_ Howard said, pushing Antonio’s hand away when the alpha tried to feed him a grape.

 _“You have to eat, kiddo._ ” Antonio said frowning.

Howard groaned, _“If I get sick, I’m throwing up on you.”_ He said though he took the fruit and ate it slowly. Antonio laughed. “ _So you’re a genius.”_ Howard said thoughtfully. “ _Two geniuses, I guess Tonio is probably going to end up being a genius too_ **.** ”

 _“Tonio?”_ Antonio asked looking down at Howard, feeding him another grape. Howard resisted the urge to spit the fruit out and raised his shirt showing Antonio the slightest bump in his stomach, barely visible but there.

Antonio put a hand over Howard’s stomach and there was something sad in his scent, something guilty, _“I wouldn’t have done that to you if I have had a choice.“_  He said quietly, remorsefully.

 _“Had you not, papì would have and this situation would be a million times worse.”_ Howard said showing a little of his insight. Antonio looked down at him and smiled, handing him another grape.

 _“True, I just… can’t help it I guess. You’re just a child.”_ Antonio said as he leaned back on one hand, still holding Howard with the other.

 _“Am I getting heavy?”_ Howard asked and Antonio shook his head.

 _“No, not at all hence why I’m force feeding you… Wait a minute, my brain just caught up, you naming the baby Tonio?”_ Antonio asked and Howard shook his head.

_“Antonio Eduardo like his sire. I call him Tonio.”_

_“What if it’s a girl?”_ Antonio asked smiling.

 _“We’ll name her Antonia and call her Tonia. But I think it’s a boy, I feels like a boy.”_ Howard said as he pushed Antonio’s hand away and buried his face in the alpha’s chest so he wouldn’t feed him another grape. Antonio sighed but didn’t make him eat it.

Antonio rubbed his stomach again, “ _If I can help it, you won’t have to go through this alone okay.”_

“ _I know.”_  Howard said as he leaned on Antonio’s chest. He liked hearing his heartbeat.

After that, Howard saw a lot of Antonio, he walked him home every day from school and he even started spending a lot of nights at Antonio’s place, the alpha had his own apartment in a nearby city where he went to college. Antonio never touched him sexually; always treated him as if he was a little brother, always so protective of Howard.

So life was going pretty grand up until Howard was six month s pregnant and he was screwed over by the same people who always screw him over, his parents.

*~*~*

Howard ran through the city trying to remember where Antonio’s apartment was. He finally caught sight of it at the end of the street he was running down but then Howard suddenly smelled a familiar scent and there was a soft hand on his shoulder. Howard immediately turned around and hugged Antonio’s leg.

 _“Howard, what are you doing way out here? Its nine, almost night.”_ Antonio asked concerned as he knelt down and picked Howard up.

 _“They sold me Antonio.”_ Howard cried, wrapping his arms around the alpha’s neck. _“They’re going to kill our baby.”_

 _“Oh God, SHIT.”_ Antonio said as he held Howard close. _“It’s okay kiddo, I’ll figure something out.”_ Antonio promised softly as he held Howard in his arms and carried him to his apartment. Howard believed him.

Antonio did figure something out, sort of. He was able to pay the slave master enough that he let Howard keep their baby and he wasn’t going to take Howard until after the baby was born. Howard asked him where he got that type of money but Antonio never told him and Howard always hoped it wasn’t from something bad; the alpha would do anything to keep him and their baby safe.

Three months later, after the most horrendous thing Howard had ever experienced in his life, the nurse in the hospital Antonio took him to handed him the most beautiful baby in the world. Well to him at least, and Antonio too.

 _“It’s a boy, an alpha boy.”_ The nurse announced to them and their baby was so tiny because Howard had been so young be he was healthy and had all his little fingers and toes. Antonio was proud of him and took a plethora of pictures of the two of them, knowing very well that this might be the last time he would see either of them.

Howard would have gladly given his baby to Antonio to care for but babies don’t do well with being away from their breeders when they’re this young and usually die if they’re separated from them unless they were six months old or older.  And there was really no hiding because even though the Slavery as an illegal operation, it was a powerful one with many powerful people in their pocket so they were stuck with this fate. Howard tried not to think about it as he looked down at his little blessing, his little bundle of joy as Antonio filled out all the forms they needed, confirmed that he was the sire and their baby was named Antonio Eduardo Carbonelli, Jr. just like his sire.

 _“Tonio, my little bimbo.”_ Howard said as he kissed his little Tonio on the forehead, holding him tight and close to him. He tried not to cry but he was so scared. Howard wanted to keep his baby safe, didn’t want anything to happen to his bimbo. Antonio hugged him and kissed his hair.

 _“It’s alright. It’ll be okay, somehow. I’ll find you one day, okay. I promise.”_ Antonio told him and Howard’s clutched on to those words because they were the only thing that gave him hope that everything in his life wouldn’t end in complete and total disaster.

*~*~*

When Howard was first taken, he got to stay in Italy for a few months and he got to see Antonio every now and then. He made lots of money being the youngest omega in the Slavery and his powerful scent always lured dominates to him instead of any of the other captives. Howard hated it but he was also glad that some of the other omegas weren’t hurt so badly and he gained so much illegal revenue his slave masters made accommodations for him and his baby. The slave-owners made other requirements too, making Howard do things after hours. Howard took it though because it’s what kept his baby safe and he’d take anything to make sure Tonio was well taken care of.

Then he was shipped to America, miles of ocean away from everything he knew. Plus he couldn’t speak English and the slave masters were so compassionless, so harsh. They didn’t care if he didn’t know what they were saying, they would punish him harshly for any and everything he did wrong even though he usually didn’t know what they were demanding form him.

Howard learned though and quickly: he learned the common kinks of America, learned what his clients wanted from him, learned what he had to give his slave masters so that he could keep his bimbo safe. He hated that Tonio was forced to witness the horrid treatment of his breeder and Howard wished that he could send him to his sire so he could be protected.

Howard thought about Antonio a lot. Thought about how gentle he was, how he was the kindest alpha he’s ever met. Thought about how as Tonio grew he had some of the same traits as his sire even though he hadn’t seen him since he was a baby.

_“I’ll fine you one day, okay. I promise.”_

Howard still clung to those words hoping that may be one day Antonio would come and save them from this hellish life. It was a dream, he knew that, a hopeless fantasy but it was all he had.

*~*~*

Five years later

Howard knew he couldn’t kill anybody in cold blood; the thought was just too sickening and he just didn’t have the stomach for it but if someone threatened the safety of his child there were no holds barred.

A now fifteen-years-old Howard was sitting the dark closet his slave master had thrown him and his now six-years-old son as punishment. Underestimating Howard again. Howard could easily pick the lick from behind and get out of there but that wasn’t what he needed to do. It wasn’t part of the plan. Howard sat on the floor, holding Tony close as he waited, clutching the knife he made tight in his hand. He would only have a split second to act so he had to make it count.

They waited for a good hour more before the door opened and Howard sprung into action, stabbing the bastard in the chest with a shallow knife, pushing a small button on the bottom that sent an electric jolt through his slave master’s body and it rendered him unconscious in about five seconds flat. Waiting another second or two before touch the alpha so he wouldn’t get shocked, Howard searched his pockets and grabbed some car keys and some money. Tonio was ripping a very expensive looking ring off his finger and Howard couldn’t have been more proud of him.

 _“Come on Tonio.”_ Howard yelled as he picked up his son when he saw some of the guards coming their way running with all the power in his legs, hoping and praying to God that they make it out okay.


	3. 7 1/2 Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, this chapter has some spoilers for the main story while some things are purposely ambiguous because they will be explained in the main story.

A now twenty-two years old Howard was leaving his Stark Industries office to go home for his lunch break. He wanted to get some work done on some of his weapon designs before he had to come back to his meeting this afternoon. He was mostly alone except from some of his engineering staff working on some of the equations of the designs he already had in the works but they were further down the hall in a conference room. His engineering team was fairly new and he hadn’t had too much hand in the hiring process, his HR team did most of it, he just examined and approved their credentials. 

He was just locking his office when an irritating voice screeched his name from down the hall. Howard rolled his eyes as he recognized Kirk Massey’s voice. The alpha chauvinist was a member of his board of directors and he gravely hated the man. He was such a corrupt alpha and Howard tried to not be caught alone with him but the bastard got lucky this time. 

“What Massey.” Howard snipped as he turned to the alpha approaching him. 

“Ala Massey.” Kirk condescendingly corrected him. Howard just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. The alpha feigned a kind smiled. “I was wondering if we could speak privately in your office.” 

“No, we cannot now unless you have something to tell me that’s urgent and cannot wait until our next board meeting I suggest you leave me alone.” Howard snapped, keeping his expression stoic but he was becoming afraid. Massey had a certain stench in his scent, the same stench the alpha’s used to have when Howard had been locked up in the Slavery and getting raped was not on Howard’s to-do list today. 

“I just wanted to go over some marketing strategies with you to see what you thought of them. Since you were so displeased with my last one.” Massey said with a hint of contempt in his faux kind tone and Howard laughed. 

“Yeah whatever Massey, get out of my way.” Howard demanded but the alpha grabbed his arm and pushed him up against his office door. Howard kept himself from panicking as he looked up at Kirk with a quirked eyebrow and a miffed expression. “You’re cramping my style here. Get off me!” 

“You know Stark, you need obedience training!” Kirk growled at him, releasing dominating pheromones to try and intimidate Howard. Which didn’t faze the omega in the slightest. 

“I said, Get Off Me!” Howard growled right back and his aggressiveness shocked Kirk for a second before he wrapped one of his hands around Howard’s neck and shoved a knee between his legs and hoisted Howard up. 

“I’m going to give you that training you need.” Kirk sneered at him and shoved his other hand up his shirt and played with nipples a little before he trailed his hand back down Howard’s stomach. Howard was taken aback by it like he always was when someone touched his stomach. Kirk smirked when Howard stilled beneath him and continued to trail his hands down but the scent of another alpha suddenly crept up and it was different, a genuinely kind scent with something familiar about it. And suddenly Kirk was snatched away from him. 

“He said: Get off of him.!” The other alpha snarled as he stepped in front of Howard protectively and his voice had a thick, Italian accent. Kirk, being the coward he was, wasted no time getting the fuck out of there. The alpha turned around to Howard and looked at him for a moment before speaking. “Hey kiddo, are you alright?” 

Howard nodded shakily, “Y-yeah, thank you for saving me.” He tried to get a good look at the man but he had a ball cap on that kept Howard from seeing his face. The guy nodded and took a step back as if he was about to skedaddle but he looked over Howard again and stopped. Howard could understand why. It was only weeks since the abortion and since Obadiah had beat him so badly he was hospitalized for a week and a half so Howard knew he probably looked like shit. He really shouldn’t have been at work and struggling with Massey like that weakened his already scarce strength. 

“You don’t look so good.” The alpha said with concern flooding his scent. 

“I’m fine, I just… I just feel like shit.” Howard admitted and he tried to take a step but he ended up nearly falling to the floor but the guy gently caught him. And at this point, Howard would usually be freaking out but he for some reason felt that he could trust this guy. This dominate, who still had his hand on Howard’s waist but not in a threatening way; protectively, so Howard wouldn’t fall. Then Howard catches what he said. “What did you call me?” 

The alpha looked at him with a confused expression, “When?” 

And Howard caught it this time; now that he knew what to listen for, the familiar voice, just older, deeper, more… mature. 

_“You called me kiddo. Antonio?_ ” Howard asked and the alpha froze before he took off his ball cap. 

_“You remember me?”_ A now thirty-years-old Antonio asked with something both guilty and ecstatic in his scent. Howard looked at him, it was certainly Antonio, he was just older in a mature way. He had grown talker, about six three now and he was much more handsome than what he used to be though he was never ugly, just went from a boyish cute to a handsome man. 

_“Of course I remember you. You’re the sire of my son.”_ Howard said, shocked to see Antonio after all these years and then his brain started firing on all cylinders again and he wrapped his arms around the alpha’s neck to hug him as tightly as he could in his weak state. _“Antonio! I can’t believe it. You’re actually here. You kept your promise. How long have you been here?”_

Antonio hugged him back, just as tight. _“I’ve been in America for about a month. I’ve been working for you for two weeks. After that bastard alpha of yours was dead. I would have protected you from him if I could have come sooner._ ” Antonio said with sudden bitterness and Howard knew he was talking about Obie. And knowing that Antonio would have protected him for his past abusive alpha made him beam. 

_“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”_ Howard said and Antonio chuckled a little. 

_“I’ve missed you too kiddo. A lot.”_ Antonio said and he kissed Howard’s hair and picked him up, bridal style just like he used to always do. _“You are too weak to be working, Howard. And you’re so light, have you been eating like you should?”_

Howard smiled, same ol’ Antonio. _“Major Déjà vu moment.”_ Howard said and Antonio laughed as he carried Howard out the building. 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ 

Howard thought at first that it would be hard getting to know Antonio again but they fell back into place as if they've seen each other yesterday, not thirteen years ago. The two just picked right back up where they left off and Howard guessed that maybe they never did, maybe they just held on to each other despite the mass separation. Antonio took Howard home and the two talked for hours, both forgetting about the jobs they were supposed to be working. 

They were sitting on the couch in Howard’s new home and the omega was curled up beside Antonio, listening to the alpha talk about his life and the things he did in Italy after college before he moving to America and this cute, nice beta girl he met that he started courting. Howard was mystified by how they fell back into routine and even though Howard was older, very desirable as an adult omega with his powerful scent to help attract alphas, Antonio still only looked at him as a baby brother and was still very protective of him in a familial sense. 

_“I followed you, from what we got in the news back in Italy. I would have come a lot sooner but I was caught up with some… things.”_ Antonio said ambiguously. 

_"Where did you get that money from Antonio?"_ Howard asked concerned because he knew Antonio, knew that whatever held him up probably led right back to that. 

Antonio chuckled and shrugged, _"Doesn't matter so much now."_

_"I knew you would say that."_ Howard said rolling his eyes and Antonio laughed, wrapping an arm around Howard and then omega felt so safe in his embrace, just like he used to always feel safe around Antonio. Howard hugged him; noticing again how broad Antonio's chest was compared to how slender he used to be. _"I can't wait until you see Tonio, he's so much like you. Gentle and kind, just like you are."_

Antonio smiled and still, after all these years there was that hint of guilt in his scent. _"I've seen him a couple of times. I talked to him once. He's such a good kid, incredibly smart."_ Antonio chuckled. _"But I guess that was to he expected. He's a great kid. You're doing a great job with him. Even though you had to do it alone."_ Antonio said with that same remorse in his scent. 

_“Don't feel guilty Antonio. He's my blessing. The best thing that has ever happened for me. And it was all out of your control, nothing went anything like we expected it to."_ Howard said, thinking back over it, now understanding a lot of those things he didn’t understand before. _"How come you didn't tell me who you were."_ Howard asked and Antonio shrugged. 

_"I guess I thought that you're grown you would... Be angry with me."_

_"No, I could never be angry with you. You were the first alpha I knew who ever showed me kindness."_ Howard said honestly. " _You know you're also the only alpha I've ever scented guilt on except for Tonio. When I was taken, none of those dominates ever felt the least bit bad for the things they did, the things they did in malice."_ Howard said and it wasn’t nonchalant, his tone has the appropriate venom in it and Antonio looked at him, searching his face. 

_“Do you ever talk about it?”_ Antonio asked him with concern coloring his voice and Howard nodded, knowing that Antonio couldn’t sense the lie in his scent but the alpha knew Howard just as well as Howard knew him and he quirked his eyebrow at him. 

_“No, I don’t really know anyone I could talk to save you.”_ Howard said then almost immediately regretted it, suddenly realizing where Antonio was going with this. He looked at Antonio, meeting his eyes. _“You’re going to make me deal with my emotions aren’t you?”_ Antonio smiled and pulled Howard into his lap, just like he used to always do. 

_“You know I’ll never make you do anything you don’t want to do but if you want to talk about it I will happily listen.”_ Antonio said and Howard laid his head on the alpha’s shoulder. The omega thought about it for a long time before his mind settled on a distinct, no, but the tears that started dripping from his eyes said something different. He tried to make himself stop crying but Antonio hugged him and said. _“No, no. Don’t stuff in your pain like that. It’s not good for you. Come on, let go. You can let go with me.”_ Howard believed him so he did, he let himself cry on Antonio’s shoulder and he went from crying, to bawling, to wailing. And he cried for a long time before he even got any words out about the abuse. Howard talked about his sire first because that has always affected him the most, having his own parent abuse him that way and then he kept jumping from one thing to the next, skipping between Obie, the Slavery, assaults he suffered when out the Slavery, the abortion. He cried for hours and Antonio listed closely as Howard talked and held Howard protectively in his arms. 

Howard would classify it as nothing less than a complete and utter emotional breakdown but he couldn’t even bring himself to care because it was with Antonio, he wouldn’t have been able to break down like this with anyone else and Howard knew that. 

After Howard completely fell apart and Antonio helped put himself back together, Howard had to admit that he felt a million times better. 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Later, Howard and Antonio were waiting in the dining room for Tonio to come home from school while Howard cooked dinner. 

_"When I escaped, I had to wait until I was seventeen to tell the police so they wouldn't take Tonio away from me."_ Howard explained as he poured Antonio a glass of punch, smiling because the flavor was Tonio's favorite just like his sire. _"We became naturalized as US citizens but they made me change Tonio's name from Carbonelli to Stark because I didn't have any information about his sire."_

_"Oh, I have his birth certificate. It's in my apartment but I'll give it to you tomorrow."_ Antonio said. _"Does Junior know what his real last name is? Does he know anything about me?"_

Howard nodded as he sat down across from Antonio, _"I told him about you and he always remembered his real last name. At first he though his conception had been horrible but after I explained it to him he became eager to meet you. Said he was going to look you up when he was grown."_

Antonio smiled, _"Do you mind if I... become a part of his life?"_

_"Of course not. I'm glad you want to. He needs his sire. I mean, now that he's growing up and he's starting to hit puberty and all that. I can tell him what an alpha is supposed to be but I think it would be better if he were shown."_ Howard said and Antonio nodded understandingly. 

_"You sure I'm not intruding, I know your being courted by that nice alpha lady. Was she going to..."_ Antonio trailed off but Howard knew what he meant. 

_"Maria will be glad Tonio knows his sire. Plus, I would never let anyone stand between you and your son."_ Howard said sincerely and Antonio beamed. 

_"I can't wait to meet her though. Does she take care of you?"_

_"Yeah, she does."_ Howard said with a fond smile. 

_"Good."_ Antonio said with a sincere smile. 

_"By the way, how's your dad?"_ Howard said suddenly remembering his old, kind, principal. 

_"He's doing great, he retired a few years ago. Told me to tell you hi. He's actually visiting me next month so maybe you'll get to see him."_

_"I would love to see him. He was always so kind."_ Howard said as he turned around, he could smell Tony before he came through the front door. 

_"Pàpà, hey."_ Tonio said when he saw the two, a little on guard because Antonio wasn't an alpha he knew but he wasn't going safe mode for once and Howard took that as a good sign. 

_"Hey bimbo, come here, I want you to meet someone."_ Howard said motion for Tony to come into the dining room. 

Tonio walked up to them cautiously and Antonio watched proudly, looking at him like he was mystified. Tonio looked at Antonio curiously before he smiled kindly at him. 

_"Hi."_ Tonio said to Antonio. 

_"Hey."_ Antonio answered back with an awed smile. 

_"Tonio bimbo,"_ Howard said. _"This is your sire."_

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you enjoyed it. :D
> 
> Please leave feedback and feel free to criticize; I am always looking for opportunities to grow.
> 
> I’ve launched an E-Zine where people submit their favorite fics and the best ones get published in the zine. I’m doing this because I want to create something that acknowledges fanfic writers and makes them feel confident about themselves while bringing people of different fandoms together. To submit your favorite fics, go [Here](https://goo.gl/forms/h0LI8s7WGgZV2gBl1)


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